Two thirds of travel bloggers experience blogxiety

Competition today is more fierce than ever, so it doesn’t surprise that research conducted by Travelpayouts showed that blogxiety is a common affliction among our kind. A whopping 68% of travel bloggers experienced the symptoms of burnout and stress from blogging. It is so prevalent that, practically, if you’re blogging and never felt that sinking feeling in your gut, you’re an odd one out. Maybe it’s time to get anxious about that!

Jokes aside, the world of blogging is only seemingly glamorous. When one scratches under the surface of polished posts and perfectly curated images, there’s a harsh reality of challenges and pressures that could overwhelm even the most seasoned blogger.

While blogging nominally opens endless possibilities for creative expression and sharing one’s thoughts with the world, blogxiety thrives on doubts and the constant pursuit of success.

Every third travel blogger contemplates a career change, which tells us that questioning one’s worth is a serious strike against confidence.

In this article, we’ll delve into the world of frustrations, explore the origins, manifestations, and effects of blogxiety, and most importantly, practical strategies for overcoming it.

Unveiling the Blogxiety Beast

There is only so much time in a day, and I sympathize with anyone who thinks they can stretch enough to respond to all expectations that are put in front of travel bloggers today.

It’s easy to fall short of these expectations. For me personally, even if for instance I know that Pipeaway’s readership is mostly organic, I still feel pressure to excel as social media performer too. It doesn’t bring much, but everyone’s doing it, right?

While performance pressure can lead to self-doubt, perfectionism can lead to self-imposed pressure. The fear of making mistakes or not meeting your own high standards can be overwhelming.

Even if some bloggers sweat over keyboards with writer’s block (sometimes before even launching the blog), Travelpayouts rightfully notices that blogxiety is caused by difficulties beyond content creation itself. Larger challenges travel bloggers face are SEO, monetization, or AI competition. These can support the fear of anticipated blog failure, resulting in sadness, lack of motivation, and anger. It can be a true rollercoaster of nervousness and anxious feelings.

The survey reveals that blogxiety is prevalent among travel bloggers, affecting both those who have been in the profession for several years and those who are just starting out.

Roots of blogxiety

Comparanoia

The blogosphere can be a breeding ground for comparanoia. In a world of countless blogs, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing your progress, readership, following, and success to that of other bloggers (usually “blogosphere gods”).

This deep rabbit hole is a recipe for blogxiety disaster, fueling feelings of inadequacy and stress. Remember, each blogger has a unique journey and audience, and constant measuring up to others is not helpful.

Drawing insights from Travelpayouts’ study, we can see that comparing oneself to successful bloggers is a major trigger for discouragement among travel bloggers. Practically, every other blogger shares these feelings. So, there’s a big chance you are comparing yourself to someone who feels equally insufficient!

Social media mayhem

In the age of social media, bloggers face the daunting task of maintaining an active online presence, managing accounts, and engaging with the audience. From crafting the perfect Instagram post to juggling various platforms like a circus performer, the pressure is never-ending and always increasing.

It’s essential to strive for healthy balance and authenticity. Remind yourself that it’s quite hard to dance salsa, tango, and breakdance all at once while wearing roller skates.

According to the study, over 42% of surveyed travel bloggers struggle with the overwhelming demands of managing multiple social media platforms effectively.

Limited technical skills

Search engine optimization, blog monetization, and battling against AI competitors add another layer of complexity to the blogging landscape. Our skills are constantly being tested, and even new Google Analytics could push you to the brink of blogxiety-induced madness.

Nobody was born a master, so if you cannot slay every dragon with a single stroke of your keyboard, don’t be too strict with yourself. Just like Rome, a successful blog cannot be built in a day.

Travelpayouts’ study highlights that 32% of travel bloggers reported stress because of the challenges of technical skills.

Burnout recovery always begins in the parasympathetic nervous system, so hitting the pause button regularly and getting some good rest and sleep is paramountFlic Taylor, burnout coach

Strategies for conquering blogxiety

To cope with blogxiety, bloggers can consider the following strategies:

1. Set realistic goals.

Establish achievable and measurable goals for your blog, considering your available time, resources, and expertise. No matter how small, celebrate your wins along the way to maintain motivation.

Remember that blogging is a long-term endeavor, and success often takes time. Embrace the learning process. Focus on your progress and personal growth rather than constantly comparing yourself to others.

2. Practice self-care.

Take breaks, prioritize self-care activities, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Allow yourself time to relax, recharge, and pursue other interests outside of blogging.

Burnout coach Flic Taylor champions rest, sleep, nutrition, exercise, and setting boundaries as weapons against burnout. We don’t have to say yes to everything, we can choose what to be available for. Nurturing one’s well-being is crucial for maintaining a healthy and sustainable blogging journey.

“Burnout recovery always begins in the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest response), so hitting the pause button regularly and getting some good rest and sleep is paramount”, Flic says.

3. Delegate.

Bloggers often wear multiple hats, stretching themselves thin while trying to grasp various responsibilities simultaneously. But why tackle every aspect of blogging on your own when you can share the workload? Learning to delegate tasks can alleviate stress, allow you to focus on what you love most, and prevent burnout.

Travelpayouts’ study suggests that travel bloggers yearn for assistance with challenging and routine responsibilities, such as website tech support (50% of respondents would love a helping hand in this department), affiliate link insertion (35%), and keyword research and integration (30%).

4. Seek support.

While blogging can sometimes feel like a solo expedition through uncharted territory, in reality, no blogger is an island, as there are tribes of like-minded people out there.

Connect with other bloggers facing similar challenges. Join blogging communities, participate in forums or social media groups, and share your experiences and concerns, but also triumphs. Supportive and empathizing networks can provide valuable advice, encouragement, and a sense of togetherness.

5. Seek professional help.

If blogxiety or associated anxiety symptoms persist and significantly impact your well-being, don’t hesitate to seek out professional help and support. Mental health professionals can provide guidance and strategies to manage stress and anxiety.

Blogxiety Retreat for blogger burnout

To help out everyone still combating blogxiety, Travelpayouts is hosting a virtual getaway named Blogxiety Retreat.

Mark your calendars for July 27th, as you’ll be able to learn from two travel blogging powerhouses. Matthew Kepnes from NomadicMatt.com and Jessie Festa from JessieOnAJourney.com will share valuable insights, personal experiences, and practical advice on taming blogxiety and rediscovering a passion for travel blogging. The host of this webinar will be Chris Davila from GirlTakesMundo.com.

Besides hearing the setbacks and triumphs of successful bloggers, you’ll be able to find out your blogxiety level through a quiz, as well as grab some fabulous prizes!

Signing up for Travelpayouts will secure you a free invitation, but also unlock a treasure trove of earning opportunities (that’s solving your monetization doubts right there!). Their all-in-one travel partnership platform opens doors to over 100 travel partner programs you can affiliate with. I joined them recently, and it does remove the hassle of chasing each program’s payout minimums individually!

Do you know what else is great against anxiety? Check out weighted stuffed animals, they are not just for kids!

Blogxiety – Conclusion

Blogxiety may cast its shadow upon the blogging journey, but armed with practical strategies and a supportive community, it can be conquered.

By unmasking the sources of blogxiety and embracing self-care practices, travel bloggers can reignite their passion, find their unique voice, and navigate the blogging landscape with confidence.

The road to triumph is paved with detours, setbacks, and the occasional rogue algorithm update. But that’s not the end of the (blogging) world.

Remember, behind every successful blog lies a blogger who faced their fears head-on, dodged comparison traps, and just persevered.

Also, you are more than just your blog, and enjoying the process is just as important as the end results. Take a moment to savor the journey.

Embrace your creativity, trust your journey, keep calm and blog on!

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The post Blogxiety or Blogger Burnout: How to Keep Calm and Blog On appeared first on Pipeaway.

In the tourism industry, the power of the brand and the image are super important. All participants in this complex chain contribute to painting traveling like a dream come true. An escape from miserable and boring lives.

Projecting luxury as a holy grail, the rare privilege of a few, is ubiquitous. From luxury travel blogs to Instagram accounts of aspiring starlets, the idea that “looks can deceive” is not unmasked, but exploited

There is something interesting going on here. In most industries, terrible providers and honest consumers would split apart. But in the world of travel, both sellers and buyers participate in this ‘rose-colored glasses’ game.

In the era of Instagram, travelers will close one eye on the weak spots of a doubtfully good travel experience and still paint it pink. Buyers become sellers, selling the lifestyle to their followers. And it seems they don’t even need to get paid to forward the deception.

Our ability to ignore negative details, and focus on what seems to be desirable, is an intriguing aspect of human psychology. In a world that counts value through ‘likes’, hearts, and thumbs-ups, selective reporting becomes a widespread strategy.

Projecting luxury as a holy grail, the rare privilege of a few, is ubiquitous. From luxury travel blogs to Instagram accounts of aspiring starlets, the idea that “looks can deceive” is not unmasked, but exploited.

Sometimes, the discrepancy between reality and created illusion is so large that you can wonder whether deception is an addiction we cannot control.

Social media changed the ways we travel and experience the world around us. From stupid selfies in Indonesia to Kanchanaburi sightseeing turning into a photo shoot on a graveyard, examples are unappealing. 

5 stories I skipped to tell

To some extent, all travel reporters are guilty of creating illusions. Myself included.

The journalist’s task is to do his/her job fairly. But avoiding certain details in certain articles, and possibly addressing them in others (such as this one) is legitimate too.

Ignoring negative aspects can be perfectly reasonable. And no, it wouldn’t necessarily equal lying.

Whatever the reason behind our actions might be, I felt the need to share examples that could demystify the perfect life of a travel blogger.

1. Floating breakfast in Bali I never ate

The idea for this article came to me when I posted Instagram pics of Aria Villas Ubud, the romantic hotel in Bali with a floating breakfast.

 

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Me standing in an infinity pool, with tropical vegetation in the background. I quoted John Lubbock, English scientist and politician: “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

The word ‘lie’ can describe quite different things: assuming the horizontal position, as well as telling something untrue. Was I lying, or was I lying?

Well, I was certainly standing in that pool, shivering, and not disclosing how cold the morning water was. There was a delicious breakfast floating in the basket, served for two of course (as how can solitude be romantic?). Neither I nor my travel companion would eat it that morning.

My followers did not find out about the frequent night visits to the toilet. My poisoned stomach wanted to eject the dinner of the night before. That’s content nobody would like to see floating in that perfect pool.

I knew exactly where we got the infamous Bali Belly. It was some local restaurant that had no connection with the hotel we stayed in.

As it was a check-out day, this was the last opportunity to photograph Aria Villas’ floating breakfast. If we wanted to fairly address the hotel’s offer, it was now or never. Enter the pool, take a quick pic, and throw up later. Never mention it again. Well, until now.

Out of embarrassment, I took a spoon and wrecked the food servings, just so that the hotel’s chef wouldn’t take returned full plates as an offense.

Instagram’s alternative reality

One of my Instagram followers commented on the pic with a fire and applause emoji: “You have the best life. Ever.” On another similar image in the pool, a fellow travel blogger said: “Living the life!!”. Someone else commented: “You’ve shared so many amazing sites & sights of your travels, but I think this unexpected floating breakfast is now my favorite. It’s kind of simple, serene, soulful AND – superfluous – simultaneously.”

I was recovering from the food poisoning incident for a couple of days. It had nothing to do with the accommodation we stayed in, and I thought it was best not to address it. But feeling the need to throw up your guts and soul certainly did not resemble how I imagined “the best life”.

Coming back to Lubbock’s observation, rest might not be the waste of time, but ordering a breakfast you don’t plan to eat was certainly producing waste. I am quite conscious about the value of food, and in normal circumstances, I would never order something that I would know it would be thrown away. But these circumstances required staging and all dilemmas that come with it.

As for Aria Villas, I still believe they are one of the best places to stay in Ubud and provide the best massage on the island of gods! The hotel even got an honorable mention in my 2020 year review, not just for its impeccable room delivery service, but also as the winner of the most liked images on Pipeaway’s Instagram – four out of the top 9 pics in 2020 were taken in Aria Villas.

Are you a travel blogger experiencing anxiety related to your work? You are not alone. Check out how to deal with the burnout of blogxiety!

2. Diary of diarrhea in Cambodia

After testing many world cuisines, I can say that issues with digestion occur rather rarely to me. But when they do happen, I’d love to have an exorcist by my side!

Once in Siem Reap, I stayed in Sojourn Boutique Villas. Later I included them in my text about how well are the luxury escapes in Cambodia prepared for post-COVID tourism.

I was lucky to write this thematic piece instead of a full review of the hotel, as I don’t know how I would address the food poisoning, similar to the one I had in Bali.

How do you write about the hotel’s food if your stomach is churning? Can I pinpoint the exact cause of my problems in – the hotel’s restaurant? Or did I pick up my bug somewhere else?

Luckily, I didn’t feel well enough to attend the cooking class they offered. It would be rather hard to find an ethically correct way to report about it without addressing health issues that might or might not derive from the hotel’s restaurant.

But now you know, the “severe stomach problems” I mentioned in the article on Cambodia’s most famous temple, that Heritage Suites staff helped me deal with, started at my earlier stopover.

 

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Of course, as I skipped mentioning my digestive disorder, Instagram pics of Sojourn Boutique Villas were only getting comments such as “So incredible” and “Tropical paradise!”.

Only I knew that I didn’t sleep that night after the sickness made my bowels involuntarily give up, and I made a mess in the bedsheets. I know, incredible tropical paradise, right?

Out of embarrassment, I spent the night cleaning the bedding, as I didn’t want to be remembered as “the blogger who shat on us”. Obviously, I don’t try enough if I tell this unglamorous story now.

3. Temptation of the Ethiopian injera

I can thank Ethiopia for a couple of dietary anecdotes too. Many Westerners can. When I attended a conference in Addis Ababa, at least a third of us swapped round tables with 1-on-1 sessions with the loo.

The staple food of Ethiopia is injera, the spongy bread made of teff, the country’s native grain. This peculiar sour pancake is eaten by hand, and spreading germs around is therefore not a surprise.

However, on my last days in the country, I wanted to reward myself with some French pastries, as desserts are not that common in Ethiopian cuisine. And I got sick again! No matter how exclusive the restaurant you choose to visit seems to be, you never know what happens behind the closed doors of the kitchen.

 

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But my favorite episode with injera happened during the Danakil Depression tour. An Asian tourist had just arrived in Ethiopia and saw a fellow Italian traveler Walter eating the injera.

“Can I take a picture?”, she asked.

“No, but you can taste it”, Walter was playing it smart.

She tried the fermented flatbread, and she didn’t like it.

“Can I take a picture now?”, she asked.

You see, social media networks do not recognize flavors for now. Why not share images of food that we never liked, and get some ‘likes’ that we do like?

4. Stretching my capacities in Laos

Not all food experiences end up with explosive gastrointestinal problems. Sometimes, the food can be great, but there could just be too much of it.

I am aware this can sound like a first-world problem. But staying in a 5-star hotel with several restaurants and lounges, and with an expectation to try them all in two days, is different than it sounds. Delivering a proper review after a jam-packed program from early morning to late evening is still a challenging task.

This is exactly what I experienced at Crowne Plaza Vientiane in Laos. After months of physically active time in Southeast Asia (I had to make additional holes in my belt so I don’t lose my pants!), this hotel’s amazing food changed it all. The room-scale showed more than 70 kilos, for the first time in my life. I know that should be normal for my height, but certainly, it came after a regime of overeating that can hardly be described as pure pleasure. I admire people with such eating capacities!

 

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However, the full stomach was not my biggest problem while experiencing the massage treatment in Crowne Plaza Vientiane. My body was still full of wounds I got when I fell off a motorbike in Northern Laos!

You don’t see me mentioning it as one of Luang Prabang‘s tourist attractions, even if this is a particular reason why I will never forget my visit to Kuang Si Falls.

“You know how to enjoy life”, commented someone on a pic where I stand in turquoise (and, pssst, rather cold!) water. I said ‘thank you’ without revealing that the guy who “knows how to enjoy life” almost lost it on the road.

Read about my most dangerous travel situations here!

5. Too many hotels or no hotel?

Travel blogging does come with perks. I can see why having free accommodation for a month in Cambodia or Bali could look like a dream job to most people.

In my early blogging days, I was accepting one-night hotel stays in exchange for a full review. I’d rather not repeat that. Today, I feel even two-night stays are a stretch.

After checking in the first afternoon and checking out the last morning, this technically becomes one full day at a place you need to write about.

In between the golden hours of morning and evening for photography, one needs to explore the hotel’s offer, and hopefully some of the town. This transforms your ‘free stay’ into a sprint experience.

Traveling easily becomes an enemy of travel blogging, and you end up not having enough time to do your job – the writing.

After a run through hotels, back to back, one almost needs to take a vacation!

 

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For instance, in the beautiful Coron Island in the Philippines. I booked an Airbnb, only to find out the room was infested with ants. With a silent booking platform, I was on my own. Other affordable rooms were equally dodgy.

I literally spent an entire day in Coron Town trying to find a decent bed that would not break my budget. The hostel I finally booked (and paid for) via Booking.com, turned out to be sold out when I got there. So you cannot really trust booking platforms!

In the end, I took a room in some unlit street for the night, just so I wouldn’t sleep on the bench.

No part of my Instagram report on Coron revealed the stress behind staying at the ‘perfect island’. Followers’ comments were coming from the pool of words such as “incredible”, “inspiring”, “awesome” and “beautiful”.

To read about my experiences in staying with Jesus fans, nudists, and rats, read my Couchsurfing horror stories!

Untold stories on travel bloggers’ glamorous lifestyle – Conclusion

Some travel bloggers might lead a glamorous lifestyle, but it is not an undisputed rule. For instance, Pipeaway reviews extraordinary accommodations, no matter if they are luxury escapes for the rich or hostels for backpackers.

I am aware that any touristic image from an exotic location feeds the deception of beauty. Unless I really intend to photograph something ugly, the image will typically communicate the unique features of the place. We will attach value to these features mainly because they differ from what we are used to.

All of this doesn’t mean that travel reporting is a lie. But readers should be aware that what they see is always a fraction of an experience

When I decided to travel full-time four years ago, I actually googled “the cheapest places to travel in 2017”. Visiting Southeast Asia was not a way to rub anyone’s nose with luxury hotels or tropical paradise beaches. Paradoxically, I chose destinations through an economical filter! I wanted to save money I would otherwise spend in a pricier homeland.

Five-star hotels were surely a privilege that can potentially look misleading. While it was never my intention to trick anyone, I felt the urge to address the phenomenon of an illusionary perfect experience.

Life has its ups and downs wherever we are, at home or far away. What makes it different is only that travel writers dare to report about life elsewhere. In these reports, negative aspects fade into the background more often than they should.

That doesn’t mean that travel reporting is a lie. But readers should be aware that what they see is always a fraction of an experience.

As for Instagram, it bestifies everyone’s life. There are 24 frames in a second, 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day. That means there are at least 2.073.059 snapshots we are NOT posting. And I guess those might tell a different story.

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Slaven Škrobot is the first wheelchair traveler who reached the top of Pidurangala in Sri Lanka and Petra Monastery in Jordan

Well, that’s at least how he presents it. Pidurangala in Sri Lanka is a challenging hike even for those of us who don’t deal with quadriplegia. Slaven Škrobot became the first person in a wheelchair to hike to its top! Reaching Petra Monastery was another ‘first’ in his portfolio of extraordinary achievements. The adventurous spirit always made him find his way!

While many people will dream about traveling and justify why they are not able to execute their dreams at “this moment” of their life, this disabled guy in a wheelchair unmasks their reasoning. As he learned a decade ago, life can change in a wink of an eye. One can continue dreaming and living with the handicap of excuses, or one can – make a move.

The COVID-19 pandemic has grounded planes, but this inspiring quadriplegic continues sharing his amazing journey in a wheelchair on his blog slavenskrobot.com. Patiently waiting for the day when rolling around the world will again become his reality.

Faced with their children becoming blind, this Canadian family decided to show them the world while they can still see it. Read an inspiring interview with Edith Lemay!

Precious mobility

How are you coping with the lockdown?

It doesn’t bother me that much. As a disabled person, I am used to this way of life. So the only thing I miss is nature walks. But now it’s getting better and I’ve already started going out.

These quarantine times have reminded many of the value of mobility. Some people cannot handle this type of isolation. You had a whole decade to adapt to a new life and a new definition of normal. Do you have any advice for people who have to learn that life after the pandemic will not be the same again?

People need to learn about themselves and how to love themselves, be happy with themselves, and like to spend time with themselves. People are not used to it, but when you do those things, you don’t need anyone, and you learn how to spend time on your own and not get bored. I’m actually never bored, I always find something to do and something to occupy myself.

Slaven traveled the Great Ocean Road in Australia, one of the best road trips available to electric vehicles too!

Slaven Škrobot’s first trips, on medication

Your disability is 100 %. How did it happen?

Correct! I broke my neck, c5, 10 years ago. Some friends and I were jumping from the jetty on the island of Krk. I jumped on my friend who stayed under the water, so I wasn’t able to see him. I smashed my head into his body.

While still in the hospital, you started hallucinating that you were in the Northern Pole and Hawaii. How was that and did it pin these destinations on your bucket list?

Heh… Well, I’ve been put on a lot of medication, including morphine. Those were crazy times and I remember most of the events as if they happened yesterday. I’ve had really cool hallucinations and I had really bad ones. I flew over Hawaii, hunted polar bears, rode a train, etc. I don’t like to speak about the bad ones, they were really bad and I don’t like to remember them. I’ve been hallucinating for about a month and still, to this day, I’m not sure if some stuff was real or not. I have a totally different bucket list than what I experienced in my hallucinations. I wish to visit Namibia, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam, Madagascar, Monument Valley…

The Morocco trip was a big step out of my comfort zone. Since then, I fell in love with travelingSlaven Škrobot

Such an accident could bury many under a lot of layers of depression. Slaven Škrobot before the accident and Slaven Škrobot after the accident are not the same person. How did it all affect you, especially as you led an active life before? What was the turning point for your decision to become unstoppable?

Well, when I came home from the hospital, I was annoyed by Facebook pictures of my friends traveling and skiing, as well as seeing people riding bicycles or doing sports. I was furious that I couldn’t do anything or that no one invited me to join them. I knew I was going to spend most of my days alone with myself and that I had to find something to give me peace. Music and concerts helped me out. As time passed, I wanted to do something more and to travel somewhere outside Europe. Morocco came to mind. It was a big step out of my comfort zone but my friends made it work and it was the best journey ever. Since that trip, I fell in love with traveling.

Wanderlust and disability don't exclude each other. For more inspiration and information on overcoming challenges when traveling with chronic pain, follow Jenn Lloyd, the U.S. blogger behind Sick Girl Travels. 

Obstacles are in the head

With the level of disability you have, what does your everyday life look like?

I have a kind of routine now because it’s pretty hard to be spontaneous when you can’t walk. When I don’t travel, I explore and research my next destination, do something for my father’s company, exercise, listen to music, go to some concerts, and movies, write about my travels, etc. I try my best to find happiness in the little things. I always say, give me sun and warmth, and I’m happy! All is in the little things!

Many people see a traveling lifestyle as a luxurious privilege, as an activity that could be complicated, and unaffordable. They easily find obstacles in the plan, and even when they can afford it, they opt for the security of travel agencies. Yet someone who is traveling the world in a wheelchair, like yourself, has to organize one’s journey on one’s own! How does one overcome the true handicap – our brain telling us that traveling is a difficult adventure?

People whine that travel is a luxury while sitting at home in front of a 3000 $ TV setSlaven Škrobot

If you really want something, you will do whatever it takes to achieve it! If you don’t want it 100%, you will find an excuse. I don’t find traveling luxurious or hard, especially nowadays. People whine that it’s a luxury and sit at home looking at a 3000 $ TV set. I’ve traveled over half of Australia for just half of the amount. So would you rather have a 3k TV or travel halfway around Australia? People will always make excuses, but it’s all about priorities.

One Australian is in love with discovering the planet's secrets in a very special way. Erik, the free ranger, reveals all secrets of the naked hiking in our interview!

Traveling in a wheelchair – the adventure of a lifetime

Some think that traveling can be dangerous as well. Have you ever been in such a situation?

Haha, I’ve been in some dangerous situations, yes! I think the most dangerous and crazy one was a hike to the top of the Pidurangala in Sri Lanka. It is a volcanic rock positioned next to the Sigiriya, another volcanic rock on top of which the king built a fortress. A wrong move by anyone climbing, and that would probably be one’s end.

Another situation that I always remember is when a guy pulled a knife on us in El Jadida, Morocco.

Even if traveling in a wheelchair, you’ve climbed mountains, hiked deserts, and touched oceans. What are your favorite travel memories?

I like each of my destinations and travels in its own way. I love deserts, the Middle East, and history/culture on one hand. On the other, I like palms, sea, and beaches. Australia is special because it seems like a different planet, but Sri Lanka is very beautiful as well.

With every new trip, I bet your hunger for adventure grows more and more. But what are the achievements you are most proud of?

Correct! But now I am well aware that I can’t keep going like this and do crazy, stupid, and dangerous stuff for the rest of my life. I’d like to be more independent, start a full-time job, and have a family soon, so I need to concentrate on that and make that a priority. I will still travel to exotic locations, just maybe not as crazy as before. But you never know what life brings! If you’d asked me 8 years ago, and showed me what I did, I’d tell you you’re crazy! I was the first person in a wheelchair to reach the Monastery in Petra, Jordan, and climb Pidurangala in Sri Lanka. I traveled across half of Australia and, most importantly, I remained positive and happy in my head!

Slaven Škrobot is the first tetraplegic who reached the Petra Monastery. To see what traveling in a wheelchair looks like, check out his video on YouTube!

Slaven Škrobot on challenges of disabled travelers

The world is not really adapted for traveling in a wheelchair. It can be discouraging, but hopefully, you have some advice for other travelers with disabilities. What destinations would you recommend?

When it comes to traveling for people in a wheelchair or with disabilities, many are afraid to travel because of various reasons. It’s a big step up out of the comfort zone. Many are afraid their wheelchairs will get damaged during the flight (it happens a lot!). And many don’t feel comfortable sitting on a plane for long, and not being able to use the toilet, so they don’t drink/ eat. When it comes to me, I’m not shy and I don’t care about other people, so I just do the toilet in my seat, for example… I just find my way. What matters the most to me is a strong will, so if you really want something, you will go and get it!

There are many destinations that are pretty well accessible for travelers in wheelchairs. But I usually don’t go there. I don’t have the money to travel with accessible agencies, so I do everything on my own. Most of Europe is pretty accessible, the USA as well, and which I experienced the most, Australia! I’d move there tomorrow!

In your situation, it would be hard, if not impossible to travel alone. Who are your companions, and how do they help you?

Yes, unfortunately, there is no way I could travel alone. Till now, it has always been my friends or I’ve found someone randomly through my page to go with me and help me. I always find my way.

One Swiss photographer has travel companions on wheels too! Kim Leuenberger is traveling with vintage toy cars, check it out!

Travel blogging without the finger function

Traveling in a wheelchair requires a lot of research. Can you describe the process?

Oh yes! I do a lot of research! For my trip to Australia, I’ve spent four months researching, exploring, reading, watching, or sending e-mails. I try to find the cheapest possible place that can offer me the most things to see. Or I really like something, like Pidurangala in Sri Lanka, and create my plan around it. It also depends if someone invites me somewhere or if I find cheap tickets. I like to plan everything and see as much as possible on my trip.

You document your travels on your blog, but sadly it’s only in Croatian. Would you like to be fully immersed in travel reporting, and what are your plans in that sense?

I’d like to write in both Croatian and English, but sadly I’m in this all alone. Without mobility or finger function, it’s hard and slow. I write all my stories on my laptop. I type with both little fingers when I am in a good position to type, which is not the case all the time. Since I can’t move them, I don’t type with the tips of my fingers, but with the middle part of them. I wish to stay true and honest, and I don’t want to present my life as perfect, because it’s far from it!

As for destinations, what’s next on your radar?

It was supposed to be Iran but due to the virus, everything stopped! Now I have no idea when, where, or how I will travel next.

Besides on his blog, you can follow Slaven Škrobot and his adventures of traveling the world in a wheelchair on his Facebook page, Instagram profile, or Youtube channel.

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